Things People Say
by hilmintonhamhigh
Summary: Bruce struggles with the possibility that one of his oldest friends is behind a series of theft attempts, as Terry is faced with rumors about his relationship with Max.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**: Hi, and welcome to my fantasy season four of Batman Beyond. I really hated that the show only went three seasons and one movie. They could have done so much more. I really don't count the JLU and Static Shock and Zeta episodes, though.

Most of my stories will be sort of like episodes. Each chapter will be like a separate scene, so there will be lots of short chapters.

I love reviews! Please try to leave one. I love constructive criticism, too. Tell me if something doesn't make sense or if I got the name of something wrong. I have seen all the episodes but I have a bad memory sometimes.

Also, let me know if you'd like to see something particular in an upcoming "episode." I sort of have the season sketched out, but I always love to hear other peoples ideas. A few things, though:

I really don't like Dana.

I love Terry/Max

I like Melanie Walker, but as a villain and not a love interest

I love Matt!

I love Bruce!

I love Barbara Gordon!

I love Willie Watt! :) (Yeah, I know, I'm warped)

I'm not really into writing hardcore sex or violence, but romance and implied violence is okay. I know people have died and gotten hurt badly on the show.

The way my arc is going, there will be Terry/Max. If you are not into that, please don't read and flame. I won't demonize Dana, but she's not going to be a big part of this series.

That's it! I hope you enjoy, and again, please review! :)

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><p>Terry McGinnis had just taken a bite of his hamburger when his girlfriend Dana Tan dropped the bombshell.<p>

"Terry, would you ever date Max?"

He choked on a pickle, not believing his ears. Remembering to swallow before he spoke, he stared at her for a little while.

"Would I ever _what_?"

"Would. You. Ever. Date. Max?" Dana spoke as if Terry had been dropped on his head as a baby.

Terry sputtered a little and took a long drink of his milkshake. When his windpipe was clear he turned again to his raven-haired girlfriend.

"Would I ever – well, considering I'm dating _you, _I –"

Dana sighed in the same put-upon way she did whenever Terry had to cancel a date due to a sudden "emergency."

"Terry, I _know _that. Obviously I mean if we weren't dating. Would you?"

"Why are you asking me this?" asked Terry wonderingly. "Why now? This is weird."

She sighed again. "Jackie Wallace said she and Sheena Devereaux saw you, Max and your little brother at the Galleria last night."

"Yeah, it's my mom's birthday in a couple of weeks and Matt and I were buying her a gift. I asked if you could go," said Terry slightly accusingly. "You said you already had plans to shop with Chelsea at the Maxiplex."

"You could've gone with me there," Dana shot back. "There are plenty of shops where you could've gotten a gift."

"Look, Dana, I know I'm working for a billionaire and all, but I'm still making minimum wage." Terry rolled his eyes. "Maybe if I save up my pay for a _decade_, I can shop in one of those swanked-out stores in the Maxiplex."

"It doesn't really matter." Dana shrugged. "Anyway, Jackie and Sheena saw you three and they asked me what was going on and if we'd broken up."

_Yeah, again. _Terry thought to himself, taking another swig of his milkshake.

"When I told them no, they asked me if I didn't feel weird that you and Max were hanging out like that. I knew you guys were going to get a gift for your mom, but they said it was still strange that I didn't feel upset that you were going shopping with another girl. Then I started wondering _why _I wasn't upset, because I wasn't. And I guess it's because I don't know if you'd date Max or not. You know, if you were single."

"Which I'm not," he pointed out.

"Terry, this isn't a trick question. I'm just curious," said Dana. "I've never really thought about it before. Max is like the smartest girl in school, and she's pretty and funny. If she were more outgoing and less tied down to the computer lab, she'd probably have more dates than any girl in school."

The dark-haired teen paused for a minute to gather his thoughts. He knew he'd be lying to say he'd never noticed some of Maxine Gibson's attributes. When she'd been kidnapped by the "prince" of the Kobra Cult, Terry's first thought had been that he wasn't surprised. Zander had practically been drooling over Max when they'd met. Seeing her in that Kobra getup Zander's people had put her in, Terry could see why.

But still, it was tricky since Max was the only one other than Bruce and Commissioner Barbara Gordon who knew that he was Batman. He had come to see her less as a "girl" and more as a partner. He knew that Dana had no way of knowing that, but her line of questioning was making him way uncomfortable.

"Listen, Max is a good friend," said Terry. "Honestly, I don't think _she'd _go for _me_."

Dana frowned heavily. "Terry, that's _not _what I asked you!"

Terry felt the sweat starting to bead up on his neck and then thankfully, mercifully, his cell phone rang. He knew that Bruce Wayne was at an overdue doctor's appointment, so it was probably not him. Terry didn't care. It could be a telemarketer, and he'd be thankful. Anything to rescue him from that conversation.

He saw Dana's annoyed pout when he answered the phone. "Hello?"

Terry listened for a minute. "Oh, hey, Mom."

Instantly, Dana's expression changed to one of curiosity.

"Uh-huh … yeah … well, not until later. Okay. Sure, it's no problem. I will. Okay, love you, too. Bye."

"What was that all about?" Dana asked when he hung up the phone.

"My mom's stuck in some seminar for work. I have to pick up Matt from school."

Terry took his cred card out and ran it through the reader to pay for his meal and Dana's. "Sorry, but I have to get going. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Fine. Thanks for the snack."

Dana turned her head so that he kissed her cheek instead of her lips. Terry looked at her for a moment, not sure how to take that, but slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked toward the train station to pick up his brother.


	2. Chapter 2

"It's not funny, Max!"

Terry glowered as Maxine Gibson all but rolled on the floor with laughter, tears streaming down her face.

"You're right, Terry, it's not funny," she said between laughs. "It's h-hilarious!"

"Slaggit," Terry grumbled as she cracked up again. "I go through the Dana Inquisition, and you treat it like a comedy special!"

"Oh, come on, Terr." Max made a big effort to control her giggles and she wiped her face. "You and me? Me and you? Together? That's hysterical!"

Terry looked offended. "Hey, thanks a lot!"

"Don't pout, McGinnis. It gives you wrinkles." Max sat up and patted her bright-pink hair back into place. "I wish I could've been there! What'd Dana say when you told her no?"

"When I told her 'no' to what?"

"When you told her no, you wouldn't date me," said Max. "What'd she say?"

Terry was quiet for a second. "Uhm … I didn't tell her no."

"Well, what _did _you tell her?"

"Uhm, just that, uh, you're a good friend and that you probably wouldn't go out with me in the first place, so it was beside the point."

The girl's eyes widened in horror. "You told Dana _that_? Terry, is being in the Bat cave cutting off the oxygen supply to your head and killing off your brain cells?"

"What? What'd I say?"

"Your girlfriend asks you if you'd be into another girl, and the only answer you have for her is that you don't think the girl would be into you?" Max gazed at Terry pityingly. "I'm surprised Dana didn't kick you right in your –"

"C'mon, Max!"

"Well, _I_ would've if I were Dana," said Max. "Anyway, it's weird. I can't really see Jackie being a gossip like that. Sheena, either. They've been going to too many of Blade's slumber parties."

"Maybe." Terry shifted uncomfortably on Max's living room couch. "Anyway, you said you had info on that guy we talked about?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Hold on, I'll get my notebook."

Terry nodded and his mind switched to "Batman mode." Bruce Wayne had taught him that being Batman was as much about using his brain as it was about using his strength and the super-powered suit.

A few weeks ago, Wayne-Powers had produced a prototype of a microchip that was the talk of the technological world. Several days ago, the prototype had nearly been stolen. The culprit had not been caught, but Bruce had pointed out that the prototype had been delivered to Wayne-Powers the day the theft had been attempted, and only those working at the rival tech company FoxTeca knew that since they shared the same delivery and security company as Wayne-Powers.

Bruce was loath to believe that someone in the company founded by good friends of his would try to steal from him, but the evidence seemed to point in that direction. Since the would-be thief had not been apprehended and the security vids had not caught much, Terry had the idea that it might be someone currently at FoxTeca who was familiar with the offices at Wayne-Powers.

There was one man who'd been at Wayne-Powers in their emerging technologies division but had left to take a similar position at FoxTeca. The circumstances of his leaving was a little murky, and since Bruce thought he was barking up the wrong tree accusing anyone at FoxTeca, Terry had asked Max to do some recon on the employee.

"Okay, here we go …" Max tapped a few keys. "Name: Dennis Truevy. Was at W-P for six years. I got into his personnel file – the old man totally needs to hire me to encode the HR files, by the way – he resigned, but he'd been written up a few times for unexcused lateness and 'insubordination.' So I think the resignation wasn't exactly voluntary."

"Huh. FoxTeca hired this guy after he got pinched for insubordination?"

"Well, they may not have known, or cared. This guy was a hot shot. Or, at least he was. He slowed way down his last year or two at W-P. I think I know why." She tapped another key and pointed to the screen. "I ran his financials. He spent most of his salary at the racetracks and the casinos."

"And not winning, I guess. Losing big might mean that he owed someone big." Terry squinted at the screen. "Anything on how he's been doing at his new job?"

"Yep. Not setting the world on fire," said Max. "He's been on a couple of research teams but from what I can tell, he's been shunted to less and less important projects, which is the kiss of death in tech. He might feel that he needs to make a big score to keep his job. Swiping that microchip and trying to figure out how to make it just different enough so that Wayne-Powers can't sue could put his name in lights at FoxTeca."

"What's this dreg look like?" Terry asked.

He frowned when Max punched up a photo of a skinny-faced man with wispy hair and a hangdog expression.

"_That's_ him? He's definitely not the guy who knocked out a guard and got past all sorts of security at Wayne-Powers."

"He could've hired someone to steal the microchip for him."

"If he's so deep in debt, how'd he get the creds? Muscle like that doesn't come cheap."

"Terr, loan sharks and gangsters are businessmen, too," said Max. "Maybe he convinced them that he could get their money but they had to donate the services of one of their goons to make it happen."

Terry thought about that for a minute. "I could buy that, maybe, but whoever it was knew just how to get around the security codes and the cameras. The typical goon doesn't even know how to _spell_ camera, much less know just how to disable one."

Max was quiet for a few seconds. "There is another possibility. There is someone at FoxTeca who knows their way around and probably could finesse their way past security."

"Who?"

She looked at him and then back at her notebook. "The guy who started FoxTeca."

Terry's eyes widened. "Lucius Fox Jr.? Max, are you _insane_?"

"He used to work at Wayne-Powers, didn't he?"

"Yeah, back when it was just Wayne Tech. When that twip Derek Powers bought out the company, Fox and a bunch of other veeps got the axe."

"He's got knowledge of the product, and of the flaws in the W-P security system," Max pointed out. "His company is on the same delivery schedule and he had to put two and two together and realize that the increased security on the delivery route meant Wayne-Powers was transporting the prototype. And he has the money to hire _sophisticated _crooks to do the dirty work. You have to admit that all the evidence fits."

Terry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Max, Bruce is gonna be _having_ fits if I go to him with this. He already thinks I'm wrong about the FoxTeca link. Now I'm supposed to tell him that the son of one of his oldest friends is trying to rip him off? He never spelled it out, but he's dropped hints that Lucius Fox Sr. knew he was Batman. If that's true, then, he took Bruce's secret to the grave. I just don't buy that his son would be such a dreg."

"Terr, sometimes the apple _does _fall far from the tree," said Max. "Sure, Paxton Powers is a chip off the old isotope and is just as slimy as his father, but sometimes it doesn't go like that. Sometimes the son is an angel when the father was anything but. Sometimes it's the other way around. Lucius Senior isn't running FoxTeca – his son is. And the company is hemorrhaging red ink. They had a chance to get huge market share when the whole Derek-Powers-is-Blight thing came out and Wayne-Powers stock took a dive. But now the old man is about to buy out Paxton Powers and get his company back. When that happens, FoxTeca will be in deep you-know-what. If they get hold of this chip, they'll have some bargaining power on the market. For _some _people, it would be worth the risk."

Terry took a long walk around Max's living room. He knew that what she said made a lot of sense, but he also knew that Bruce would have his head if he went to him with this and turned out to be wrong. On the other hand, if Max was right and he kept it to himself, he knew Bruce would be just as angry, if not more so.

"Okay, well, we need more proof one way or the other," Terry said at last. "My money's still on that Truevy guy. And if he's that desperate, he might try again to get the prototype."

"But how? Didn't Mr. Wayne double down on security?"

"Yeah, but some of the shareholders went nuts after the first attempt," answered Terry. "They pretty much insisted that it be moved out of the Wayne-Powers lab. It's being transported tonight to a site a few miles outside of Gotham."

"That sounds ripe for Truevy or whoever to hit the delivery guys."

"Maybe, but they'll have a little _extra _security," said Terry, nodding toward his backpack.

"A guardian Bat angel, huh? Could be worse." Max grinned. "Let me know how it goes."

"If I can patch you in, I will," said Terry. "But Bruce might want to listen in on this one."

"Gotcha." Max watched Terry collect his belongings and shrug into his ever-present brown jacket. "Be careful out there tonight. And Terr?"

Terry turned around at the door. "Yeah?"

"For what it's worth, I hope I'm wrong," she said softly.

He nodded slowly. "Me, too, Max. Me, too."


	3. Chapter 3

Terry hated when it rained while he was suited up as the Batman. The wetness always interfered with some of his equipment, and it was always a cold, miserable experience when he had to work in inclement weather.

He hunched under the eaves of a nearby building while keeping a small warehouse in his sights. He was right outside the Gotham city limits and the nondescript warehouse was going to be the repository for the microchip prototype. Bruce had said the warehouse was off the beaten track and the transfer should be seamless, but Terry was not so sure. There was a chill going down his spine, but he couldn't be sure if it was because he had a bad feeling about things or because of the chill and rain.

_Anything yet_?

"No, nothing," Batman murmured, adjusting the microphones in his ears so that Bruce Wayne's voice wasn't quite so loud. "Everything is quiet as a mouse. No sign of the truck yet."

_It's en route. I'm monitoring the dispatch. They could be delayed because of the weather. _

"Shway," said Batman sarcastically as the rain poured harder. "Maybe they're lost. This place _is_ in the middle of nowhere."

_Can you think of a better place to store valuable material?_

"Oh, I dunno … someplace _dry _might be nice." Batman cocked his head. "Wait, I think I hear car engines."

He increased the magnification in his cowl lenses and saw a small armored vehicle pull around a curve and slow to a stop near the building.

"They're here. Just one little truck? I was expecting a convoy."

_Right, because a whole troop of armored cars wouldn't alert anyone _at all_ to the fact that something valuable was being transported._

The Bat sighed. "I hate it when you blitz me like that – hey, they're getting out."

He leaned forward and focused his vision on the two uniformed men stepping out of the vehicle. They both went to the back of the truck and while one unlocked the door, the other looked around, covering his companion with a state-of-the-art weapon.

"Wow. They came prepared," Batman murmured. "The one guy's coming back out of the truck. He's got something … a box? No, like a … small safe."

_That's the container with the prototype. Is his friend still watching his back?_

"Yeah. They both seem like they want to get this over with."

Batman watched the man with the gun lock up the truck while his companion tucked the item underneath his overcoat and headed toward the warehouse.

"They're at the warehouse. I can see the guy punching in the security code to unlock the door to the warehouse. They –"

Batman broke off as he thought he saw something cross in his peripheral vision.

_What is it_?

"Dunno. I thought I saw –"

A black streak raced across the landscape and took down the guard with the gun. The guard with the case stopped short and turned wildly around, fumbling for his weapon.

"Slagit! We've got company."

Batman engaged his wings and blasted toward the scene. The first guard was, by all appearances out cold. Batman checked his vitals, turned around – and was immediately propelled backward by a very hard fist.

"Ungh!"

The Bat shook his head and opened his eyes just as he saw the fist descending on him again. Just in time, he rolled away and swept his leg out to take the intruder down. The figure, clad all in black, fell on his back, but jumped up again with startling rapidity.

_McGinnis? Terry! What's going on?_

"Give it up," said Batman, ignoring Wayne for the moment. "I don't know what Truevy promised you, but it's not gonna happen."

The figure chuckled darkly, and his voice came out in a hiss. "You're a fool, Batman. And you're going to let me go without a problem."

"Didja hit your head on the sidewalk?" spat Batman. "What makes you think I would let you …"

His voice faded when the figure turned around.

The_ second_ thing Batman noticed was that the assailant was clad head to toe in black, even his face was covered.

The _first _thing he noticed, however, was that the thief had the second guard clasped in his arms, and had the first guard's weapon pressed up against the man's head.

The guard looked terrified and he stared at Batman with horrified eyes.

"P-Please … don't let him hurt me! I have a wife … a daughter!"

"Okay … okay." Batman took a step backward and raised his hands. "Just calm down, all right? Nobody needs to get hurt here. Just take it easy …"

"Oh, I'm taking it easy! Very easy!" The man held up the small case that he'd grabbed from the guard. "_You're_ the one who's going to have a _hard _time!"

The man cackled as he suddenly threw the guard straight into Batman.

Batman went down like a ton of bricks as the man hit him as if he'd been shot out of a cannon. There was a rustling sound and then all was silence.

It took Batman a minute to get his bearings. His back hurt and he was seeing stars. A low groan above him brought him to his senses. The guard that had been tossed into him was moaning in pain. Batman sat up, massaged his neck and turned to the man who was blubbering on the ground.

"My arm … oh god, it hurts! Help me, please! _It hurts so much_!"

_I've called an ambulance. _Bruce Wayne's voice was threaded with tension. _Stay there until they arrive and then get back to the cave._

Batman only nodded and he kept watch over the sobbing guard and his still-unconscious companion as the rain poured down on them in buckets.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Thanks everyone for the reviews (and keep them coming ... please XD!)

**Shejams**: Oh, you're a person after my own heart! ^_^ I really didn't like what they did in JLU either, and I pretty much ignore that completely. I really don't think Terry would ever tell Dana and I found it hard to believe he'd marry her. Just my opinion. I definitely am going to do a story that follows up on Tamara and her family. Mind Games is one of the best eps in the series. Max in that dress, woo!

**AbLam**: Haha, it's coming! Most episodes will be posted in parts, so it's like you have a "commercial break" in between them! I'll never take longer than two weeks to post an entire episode, though.

**SilentBat18**: Thank you! I'm not the most amazing writer in the world, but I really like writing dialogue! I appreciate that you like it so much because I work the hardest on it. I hope you enjoy the rest!

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><p>"Ouch!"<p>

"Hold still. You have gravel in the wound."

Bruce Wayne swabbed a gash in Terry's back none too gently. Terry grit his teeth and tried not to move around much. It was damp and cold in the Bat cave, as usual, and that made him even more uncomfortable.

"Almost done," grunted Bruce. "It looks a lot worse than it is."

"Not like that guard the guy threw into me." Terry closed his eyes. "Any word on how he and his partner are doing?"

"The guard that was taken hostage is in surgery. His arm was badly broken and he tore his rotator cuff. The first guard has a mild concussion." Bruce stepped away and indicated he was done patching Terry's wounds. "They'll be in the hospital for a few days, but they should be fine."

"No thanks to me," muttered Terry as he got into his street clothes. "One second, everything's quiet and the next he's mowing me and those guards down like bowling pins. He's a pro, Bruce. He was fast, strong and ruthless, and he got away with the prototype."

"Wrong." Bruce shook his head. "He didn't."

Terry stared at his mentor. "What are you talking about? I saw him with the little case. He tossed the other guy at me, and by the time I got my head on straight, he was gone. He got away with it."

"All he got away with a very nice locking case," said Bruce. "Which didn't have anything in it except a homing device."

Terry's head snapped up. "What?"

"The prototype never left Wayne-Powers labs," said Bruce. "I knew that once I agreed to the stockholders' demands to put the prototype in a safer place, everyone would assume that I'd move it, and that it'd be all over the Web. I wanted to see if anyone would take the bait."

"So you know where he is? The homing device …?"

"Is in the middle of the Gotham River," said Bruce grimly. "Whoever this was, was able to figure out how to unlock the safe and realized it was a trap, and dumped. So you're right. This person _is _a pro."

The old man looked at Terry with hard eyes. "Who is 'Truevy'?"

"Uhm." Terry blushed hard. He'd forgotten for one moment that Wayne had been listening in when he'd first accosted the thief. "He's, uh … he used to work at Wayne-Powers. Now he's at FoxTeca."

"Uh-huh. And what does _he _have to do with anything?"

_Max, you're about to get me so slagged. _Terry took a deep breath. "The first attempt to take the microchip was planned so well that it could only have been done with someone familiar with Wayne-Powers' security sweeps. I know you don't want to hear it, but only FoxTeca knew when it was going to be delivered in the first place. This Truevy twip is in deep debt because of gambling, and –"

"How do you know that?"

Terry took another deep breath. "Max did a background check on him. He resigned, but he'd been written up a few times, and at FoxTeca, he's not on any A-list projects. Selling that sort of tech to the highest bidder could solve a lot of his cash flow problems."

"So you think the man you saw today was this Truevy person?"

"Uh-uh. I've seen pictures. Truevy's like a 98-pound weakling. This guy was taller than me and strong. He was able to toss that guard like he was a gum wrapper."

"So you think that Truevy hired this man to steal the prototype? How could he do that if he's so deep in debt?"

Terry shrugged and then hated himself for doing it, because it made his bandage rub up against his wound. "I don't know. It's all we have to go on."

"_We_? This is the first I'm hearing about this person."

"I meant Max and me."

Bruce Wayne looked at Terry for a long time. "Uh-huh."

Terry squirmed under that direct gaze. "Anyway, maybe FoxTeca isn't involved, really. I mean, maybe they don't know what Truevy is trying to do."

"If it _is_ him," murmured Bruce as he hobbled to his chair and sat down. "I leaked the information that I was 'moving' the prototype, but I gave no details, not even to the staff at Wayne-Powers security. I called the delivery service myself to give them the details and the address. That warehouse has been used for decades as a repository for products that Wayne Tech has manufactured but wanted to keep below the radar. The only other person besides myself that even knows where it is, is … Lucius Junior."

Terry's breath left him. "Bruce …"

"He picked the spot long ago, when he was still working for me." Bruce's eyes looked sad. "He knows that it's the most secure place in the area, and if I were going to put anything top-level under lock and key, it'd be there."

"Maybe – maybe Truevy's guy just followed the security truck to the location –"

"No." Bruce shook his head. "As an extra precaution, I sent three delivery trucks to three different locations. Your covered-up friend showed up at the right spot. I don't think that can be written off as coincidence."

"Geez." Terry felt a chill as a flock of bats screamed overhead in the cave. "I'm – I'm sorry, Bruce. I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I." Bruce stood up and leaned on his cane. "What are you doing tomorrow after school?"

Terry groaned under his breath. "Something tells me I'm about to find out."

Bruce Wayne almost smiled. "You'll be driving me downtown. We're going to pay a little visit to an old friend of mine."


	5. Chapter 5

"So what are you going to do there? Guard his cane?"

"Funny." Terry rolled his eyes as he and Max walked down the halls of Hamilton Hill High the next morning.

"I really don't know. He probably wants to play this as a social visit, so I think I'm going there to be seen and not heard."

"Right. And if you see anything _interesting_, you'll go back after dark for a closer look, right?"

"Bingo."

"I feel for him," said Max thoughtfully. "It's gotta really hurt to know one of your oldest and best friends betrayed you."

"I dunno. I still think Truevy might've acted without anybody at FoxTeca knowing," said Terry. "But I'll tell you one thing: I got a close look at our guy out at the warehouse, and it was definitely _not _that dreg."

"But you didn't see the guy's face?"

"Didn't have to. The guy was a one-man wrecking crew. I think you were right about this being a rent-a-goon situation. I just wish we knew what group had its hooks in Truevy. Then maybe we could figure out who Mr. Personality from last night is, and who he's working for."

With a small smile, Max unearthed a vid disk from her purse. "Ask, and you shall receive."

Terry looked at the disk, then at Max. "What's this?"

"I had some down time after I finished my calculus homework last night. It was either this, or catch up on laundry," she said with a short shrug. "I hacked into Gotham Police's database of known gambling syndicates and –"

"Are you nuts?" Terry hissed, looking around. "You get caught, they'll throw your butt in jail so fast, you'll think you're on fast-forward."

"Hey, my folks are taxpayers. This is info we _all _should have access to," Max shot back. "Anyway, the programmers at Gotham PD are about as subtle as elephants in their coding. Getting in was easy. I found out all the major players among the bookie and loan shark set. There's a lot of them, Terr. I was able to narrow it down since some of the guys are in prison and others operate largely outside of Gotham. But there are three syndicates that might've taken Truevy's action, and they all have … enforcers. The rap sheets and mug shots are all on that disk. I know you didn't see the guy's face, but you gotta start somewhere."

Despite himself, Terry smiled in disbelief. "Shway! Maybe we could scare Truevy into telling us the score if we let him know that he's in deep to the bad guys."

Max frowned. "I thought you said the old man wants to play it soft. Putting a scare into Truevy would be playing it pretty hard."

"That seems to be his game." Terry's eyes narrowed. "This guy would've slagged that guard if I'd pressed the issue, and as it is, he could've broken the guy's neck the way he threw him into me. I'll see what Wayne wants to do, but we may not have a choice. I'll go through these files and I'll call you if I think I've got –"

"Terry!" Dana suddenly materialized before them, startling Terry into silence. "I've been looking all over for you."

Dana's eyes went to Max. "Oh, hi, Max."

"Hey, Dana." Max smiled slightly. "Terr, when you're done copying those notes to your hard drive, just slide the disk into my locker, okay? I have to get to physics. Later, you two."

Terry nodded. "Thanks. I'll get them back to you ASAP."

"What notes?" Dana asked as Max walked away.

"What … oh. Um, calculus," said Terry, blushing a little. "I fell asleep in class the other day and we're having midterms next week."

"You really need to try to stay awake in class, Terry," said Dana shaking her head. "If one of the teachers catches you, you could get detention or even suspended."

"I know, I know. It's just hard sometimes," he said, as they continued down the path he and Max had been taking.

"Is that why you didn't call me last night? You fell asleep?"

"Uh …" Terry looked over at her. She did not look pleased.

"I … yeah. Sorry, Dana. I was totally slagged last night and as soon as I got home from work, I crashed."

She sighed wearily. "Right. Anyway, I wanted to know what you're up to after school today. Blade got in some cool vids and she invited a bunch of us over to her place to watch."

Terry managed not to roll his eyes. The last way he wanted to spend an afternoon, even if he were free, was at Blade Sommers' house watching her make out with Nelson Nash or Jurgen Schorn, or any of the other dumb jocks she was into. Luckily, he had an excuse.

"Sorry, I can't today. Mr. Wayne has this important appointment, and I have to go with him."

"For the whole afternoon?" Dana sounded incredulous. "You're not going to have _any _free time?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I don't want to say yes and then have to cancel at the last minute."

"Why not? You're getting so good at that." Dana's voice was bitter.

Terry blushed harder. "Dana, come on, you know the job is important to me."

"I _know_ that, Terry. I just wish you could find some time to make our relationship a priority."

_Here we go. _Terry braced himself, not wanting another fight.

"I'm not trying to be a twip," he said. "I'm trying to juggle a lot of things. My mom needs me, my brother needs me, Mr. Wayne needs me ..."

She turned to him. "I need you, too, Terry. Don't _I _count?"

Terry put a hand on her shoulder. "You know that you do, Dana."

"It's hard, Terry. You're supposed to be my boyfriend." Dana looked down at the ground. "Do you know what it's like to always be asked where you are? Or when one of the creepy football guys hits on me and I tell them I'm dating someone, and they ask me why I always go to parties alone? And then girls laughing behind my back because they see you with someone else and wonder if you're dating her and playing me!"

"Are you talking about Max?" Terry felt a sudden surge of anger. "Come on, Dana! Max is … Max! She's your friend and she's mine. Do you think I'd do that to you? Do you really think _she'd_ do that to you? Behind your back? What kind of person would do that to a friend?"

He flushed, thinking of the current situation with Bruce and Lucius Fox Jr.

"This was never a problem before, but suddenly someone sees me and Max buying a sweater for my mom, and it's some big deal?" Terry shook his head. "That doesn't even make sense!"

"It doesn't matter what _I_ think," Dana said softly. "People talk, Terry, and the things people say hurt. Maybe you don't hear it, but I do, and it makes me wonder …"

He stared at her. "Makes you wonder … what?"

She took a deep breath. "Makes me wonder … why we're together at all, since you're so _busy_."

"Dana –"

"If you can come to Blade's, text me," Dana said, moving away from him. "If not, I guess I'll see you when I see you. Bye, Terry."

Terry watched her go, and when she turned a corner without looking back at him, he slammed a fist into a nearby locker.

"_Slagit_."


	6. Chapter 6

"… And just let me do the talking. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

Bruce Wayne looked over at Terry, who was gazing at the wall of the lift as they ascended to FoxTeca's top floor.

"Something wrong, McGinnis? You've been unusually quiet."

"No … no, everything's fine," murmured Terry. He could feel Bruce's sharp gaze on the side of his face, but he kept staring straight ahead, watching the world below fall away as they climbed higher and higher.

Terry knew he had to pull himself together for this visit, but his argument with Dana was still occupying his thoughts. It wasn't anything new. She always got slagged off when he spent too much time on his "after school job," but this had felt different somehow. One of the things he'd liked about Dana was that she was beautiful and popular, but not shallow like Blade or an airhead like Chelsea Cunningham. But when she'd brought up the fact that people whispered about the time he spent with Max, it had brought him up short.

On one hand, he wasn't thrilled that Dana would listen to stupid gossip like that from people who didn't really know him or Max. On the other hand, he felt like a dreg to know Dana had to deal with that sort of thing. It was different for a guy. If a guy hung around more than one girl, he was considered a stud. Nelson Nash, for example, made it a point to flirt with and date every willing girl in Hill High, and it just raised his profile.

He'd never considered that the time he spent with Max might be unfair to Dana. There were special circumstances behind that, of course, but Dana didn't know about any of that, and neither did the people running their mouths. It didn't make Terry feel any better, and he wondered if maybe Dana wasn't right and that all things considered the two of them being together didn't make much sense anymore.

The lift stopped and the doors opened on a fabulous penthouse office with floor-to-ceiling windows and an amazing view of downtown Gotham. The space was fitted out with plush furnishings, and the reception pod was in a futuristic glass dome. A dozen or more people were milling around, all of them dressed in lab coats or in uniforms with the FoxTeca logo.

Terry took in the surroundings with an impressed whistle. "Whoa. Not bad."

"They've been having a very good year," said Bruce in a dry voice. "And the Foxes were always very stylish. Lucius Senior is the one who introduced me to my favorite tailor. Come on."

Bruce led the way to the reception pod, as Terry took note of the buzz around them. They were being openly stared at and people were tapping madly on their PDAs. This unnerved Terry since he imagined that he and Bruce were supposed to be traveling "incognito," but how under-the-radar could Gotham's most famous billionaire be, anyway?

"I think we just lost the element of surprise," Terry murmured.

"We never had it," replied Bruce softly. "They know I'm coming."

"Huh?" Terry started to say, but then a door slid open and an elegant woman with dark hair and skin who looked to be about 30ish walked out. When she caught sight of the two, she smiled in disbelief and rushed to Bruce with open arms.

"Uncle Bruce!"

The old man looked slightly taken aback, but he smiled warmly and returned the woman's hug.

Terry just stared, not sure if he was more shocked to see that Bruce was hugging someone, that someone actually _wanted _to hug him, or that someone was calling the dour old man _Uncle Bruce._

Bruce smiled again as the woman untangled herself from him. "Lucia. It's great to see you."

"Likewise. I couldn't believe it when I heard you were coming. It's been, what, five years?"

"Four," said Bruce. "I was at Lucius the Third's high-school graduation ceremony."

"That's right. Trey's graduating this spring from Gotham U, going straight for a Master's in computer science at Tech. He'll finish in a year."

"That's wonderful to hear. You've done well for yourself," said Bruce, looking at her fondly. "I heard you were on the fast track at the D.A.'s office before you decided to walk away from prosecuting cases."

"I loved working there," she said. "But Dad needed me here, so … well, you know how it goes. Family first and everything."

Her gaze slid to Terry, who was silently gawking during the exchange. "And who might this be?"

"Ah, I'm forgetting my manners," said Bruce. "Lucia, this is Terry McGinnis, my personal assistant. Terry, this is Lucia Fox, in-house counsel for FoxTeca."

"_And _your favorite godchild," said Lucia with a wicked smile before shaking Terry's hand. "Good to meet you, Terry. I'll bet he keeps you on your toes, huh?"

"That and a lot of other body parts," muttered Terry, unthinkingly.

Bruce's startled cough brought him to attention, but Lucia Fox laughed loudly, nodding her head.

"That's exactly what Dad and Granddad thought! Good to see you haven't changed, Uncle Bruce." Her smile faded somewhat. "I'd like to believe this is a social visit, but I have the feeling it isn't. Why don't we go to my office?"

Bruce nodded and he and Terry followed her down the hall and into a large room that was every bit as nice as the reception area. She invited them to be seated and pointed to a panel on the wall.

"Would either of you like something to drink? Tea, Uncle Bruce? A fizz, Terry?"

"No thank you," said Bruce firmly. "I don't want to take up much of your time …"

"It's not an imposition." She sat behind her desk and looked fixedly at Bruce. "I'm glad to see you. Dad and I have been hoping you'd drop by."

"After that sabotage attempt by Wayne-Powers, I thought I'd be the last person either of you would want to see," said Bruce softly.

"That _wasn't _you," she returned in just as quiet a voice. "It was that disgusting pig Powers and his cohorts. Dad and I never blamed you for that mess."

"Even still, that company carries part of my name," said Bruce. "I should have done more to stop it before it got too out of hand."

Terry winced at the pain in Bruce's voice. It seemed hard to believe that it had been nearly two years since Derek Powers had hired the shape shifting assassin Inque to destroy FoxTeca's infrastructure in order to make Wayne-Powers the leading tech company in Gotham. It had been Terry's first brush with Inque and his first "real" assignment as Batman. He knew he'd never forget it, but it hadn't occurred to him that Bruce, too, held on to the memory, but for different reasons.

"Well, from what I've read on the Net, the company is going to lose the 'Powers' end of it soon."

Bruce nodded slightly. "I'm working on it. That's actually why I'm here. I was hoping I could speak with your father."

Lucia shook her head. "If he were here, he would've met you himself, but he and my uncles are in Metropolis at the CompuExpo. They've been there since last week."

Bruce and Terry exchanged a look.

"Ah," said Bruce. "Yes. I know a few Wayne-Powers engineers are attending."

"Maybe they caught Dad's panel on leveraging early 21st century practices for computers of the latter half of the millennium. He worked on his presentation for months."

"Yes … perhaps." Bruce smiled slightly. "Well. I suppose I'll have to wait until he returns."

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked. "Dad asked me to run the day-to-day while he was gone. If there's anything I can do …"

"Well, perhaps," said Bruce. "I'd like to speak to an engineer in your Emerging Technology Department who had once worked for Wayne-Powers. I'm trying to resurrect a project he spearheaded for the Gotham Public Schools contract I fought for back when your father was aboard."

"The TechTeaching project?"

"That's the one," affirmed Bruce. "The technology was patented, but when Powers completed the takeover, he dropped the ball. After he fired your father, it went along in fits and starts for a while before fizzling out. I think I can revive it, but I'm rusty, and Paxton Powers still controls much of the information flowing in and out of the company. I was hoping to chat with this man and ask him who currently at Wayne-Powers could step into his shoes."

"I see." Lucia tapped her chin. "We're not in the market for any educational initiatives, so I guess it's all right for you to talk to him. What's the name?"

"Dennis Truevy."

She frowned thoughtfully. "Truevy. Hmm, the name doesn't ring a bell, but except for contracts and patents, I don't really have a lot to do with Emerging Tech. But, I know who does."

Lucia pressed a button on her desk. "Layla?"

"Yes, Ms. Fox?"

"Could you ask Shane Lockslen to come to my office, please? It's important."

"Right away, Ms. Fox."

Lucia looked at Bruce. "Shane is Dad's right-hand man. Officially he's in the AI Department, but Dad's been giving him more and more responsibility across the board. Uncle Loren is going to retire at the end of this year and Shane is probably going to take over as VP of Technology and Enterprise."

There was a crisp knock on the door, and Lucia pressed a button to slide the door paneling to the side. A youngish man with dark blonde hair wearing a lab coat and glasses was on the other side, a PDA in his hands.

"Hey, Luce, you wanted to see me?"

"Yep. Come on in, Shane." She gestured toward the chairs. "I'd like you to meet –"

"Bruce Wayne!" The man's eyes widened in recognition, and he grinned all over as he rushed to shake his hand.

"My gosh, this is … this is an honor, Mr. Wayne. I'd heard you were in the building, but I never thought … oh, oh wow!"

"Shane, he's gonna need his hand back," said Lucia Fox, sounding very amused.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Shane blushed and dropped his hand. "It's just … you're a personal hero of mine, Mr. Wayne. I mean, I know you've probably heard that before, but my grandfather worked at Wayne Tech when it still _was_ Wayne Tech."

"Really?" Wayne raised an eyebrow. "What was his name?"

"Merton Kinkade," he said. "He was my mother's father. He worked in Robotics."

"The name sounds familiar, but my memory isn't what it used to be."

"Shane, Bruce needs to talk to one of your people," said Lucia. "He wants to restart a project at Wayne-Powers that your man had been managing. There's no conflict of interest, but I will e-mail Dad and Uncle Lionel just to let them know what's up. You give Bruce and his assistant whatever info they need, okay?"

"Of course! Anything." Shane glanced briefly at Terry, as if noticing him for the first time, but again turned his smile on Bruce. "Anything at all."

"I've got to run to a deposition," said Lucia, standing. "You're in good hands with Shane, but please let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you, Lucia," said Bruce, standing along with Terry. "You tell your father I'll be in touch."

"I will. It was nice meeting you Terry." She grabbed a briefcase and gently pecked Bruce on the cheek. "And Uncle Bruce? Don't be a stranger."

She murmured a goodbye to Shane before leaving her office. The younger man barely noticed her leave and he clasped his hands together as if trying to keep from grabbing Bruce's hand again.

"Mr. Wayne? Why don't we go to my office? I have most of my personnel files there, and all the work schedules. If the person you need to speak with is off today, I can call him or her in to talk with you."

"I hope that won't be necessary," said Bruce as he and Terry followed the man down a curving hallway. "It's important, but I wouldn't want anyone to be called in on their day off."

There were glass windows on either side of the hallway, and Terry could see scientists and engineers hard at work in cubicle-sized laboratories. They could see out, and several of them stopped their work to nudge each other and nod toward their distinguished visitor. Bruce paid no notice, however, smiling tightly and nodding as Lockslen chattered on and on.

"… But of course, that all changed with the new regulations of '20 – not that I have to tell _you_ that, of course. Oh, here we are." Lockslen led them into a small office, not nearly as well appointed as Lucia Fox's, or as neat. Vid disks and random bits of machinery were everywhere, and Lockslen made apologetic noises while he tried to clear a space for his visitors.

"Sorry about the mess. I keep meaning to get things organized, but something or other keeps popping up." Sighing in relief, he indicated two now-clear chairs. "Please have a seat. I'm sorry I can't offer you something to drink. My dispensary unit is on the fritz." He nodded toward the same sort of panel Lucia Fox had in her office.

"That's fine. I won't take up much of your time, Mr. Lockslen –"

"Please call me Shane." He smiled again. "Now, who is it you need to speak with?"

"A man who was a project manager in Wayne-Powers' educational tech department," said Bruce. "I believe the name is Truevy. Dennis Truevy."

Shane's smile faded. "Dennis? You want to speak to _Dennis_?"

Terry could feel Bruce stiffen beside him. "Yes … is there a problem?"

"Er … no, I suppose not." Shane peered at Bruce. "I suppose I just … er, may I ask if you're here to offer him his job back?"

"I'm afraid not," said Bruce slowly. "I simply want his help in identifying people who are already in the employ of Wayne-Powers who can pick up where he left off in our TechTeaching initiative. You may have heard of it –"

"Uh, yes. Yes, I think so." Shane squirmed slightly. "Is … that all? Dennis isn't in any sort of … well, trouble, is he?"

Bruce shook his head, and started to cough painfully. Terry turned to him in alarm, but he noticed that the old man's eyes weren't tearing up the way they did when he usually coughed. It was then Terry realized that Bruce was faking it.

"I should've taken the tea when Lucia ordered it," Bruce said between coughs. "Terry, get me a glass of something …"

Terry was on his feet in minutes. "Yes, sir."

"There's a kitchen right at the end of this hallway," said Shane, looking distressed. "Just follow the semi-circle. You can't miss it. All the days for my dispenser to be on the fritz! I'm so sorry Mr. Wayne –"

Terry left the room to the sound of Bruce's manufactured coughing and Shane's apologies. He went down the curve as directed, but ducked out of a door marked "Exit" and found himself alone in a stairwell. Once there, he opened his jacket and turned on the two-way radio he'd put there. Bruce had expected to have a confab with Lucius Fox Jr., and he didn't expect that the CEO would talk freely in front of an "assistant," so he'd put a two-way radio on his tie so that Terry could hear what was being said. Terry had been beginning to think that the radios were a waste of time.

He tuned in just as Bruce was speaking, having miraculously gotten over his coughing jag.

"… Yes, I'm sorry about that. These things come on suddenly. I feel much better, but you seem troubled, Mr. – er, Shane. Is there something wrong?"

"No … well, maybe. Mr. Wayne, you speak as if you have no idea who Dennis Truevy is."

There was a pause. "I don't believe I've ever met him. Wayne-Powers is a large company, and I've not been involved in the personnel decisions in some time."

"I … see." There was a sigh. "Then L.J. lied to me. I don't understand why … but he actually lied to me!"

"L.J.? You mean Lucius Fox Jr.? I don't follow."

There was another sigh. "Mr. Wayne, when Dennis Truevy's resume hit my desk, at first I was impressed. He'd had some nice ideas and a few hits in the tech market. But then I took a closer look and saw that he'd made quite a few lateral moves within Wayne-Powers. As you probably know, most of the time that signals a sort of problem employee who managers try to shuffle around so that he becomes someone _else's_ problem. I was going to pass … but L.J. told me that Dennis came highly recommended … by _you_."

"Me?"

"Yes, Mr. Wayne. He said that you'd put in a good word for Dennis. Then I started thinking maybe Dennis moved around so much because he didn't tow the Powers line. What a freak show Derek Powers was! I knew he was toxic, but just _how _toxic, I couldn't have begun to guess! Anyway, L.J. made it pretty clear that I needed to find a place for Dennis, so I decided to give him a shot."

"You sound as if it hasn't worked as you'd hoped."

"Exactly. Maybe Dennis was a good engineer in his younger days, though he's not _old_ per se. But he's had it. He's not innovative and the ideas he does have are tired and played out. Plus he's been late on several occasions and has mysterious 'illnesses' that seem to crop up with regularity, yet he's not used any health benefits, according to our Human Resources Department. There have been so many times I've wanted to give him his walking papers, but all this time I thought we were doing _you _a favor, and I certainly would do anything to help _you_, Mr. Wayne –"

"And Lucius Junior told you I recommended this man?"

"Yes, but obviously that wasn't true." There was another short pause. "I can't understand it. Why would Lucius basically strong-arm me into hiring someone you've never even heard of, and tell me that you sang his praises?"

"I don't know," said Bruce carefully. "I've spoken with Lucius Junior about many things, perhaps I did mention Mr. Truevy. My memory, as I said, isn't what it used to be."

"Oh. Oh, well … maybe that's it." Lockslen sounded somewhat relieved. "I was getting worried for a moment. L.J. is usually on the ball about these things, though he's had so much on his plate lately. Anyway, of course you can talk to Dennis. He's in Sector Five. I can call him up here if you like –"

"Actually, I think on second thought, I had better wait until Lucius Junior and his team are back. I'd like to clear up some things with him and smooth over any ... misunderstandings."

"Of course. I think that would be best, actually. If there's anything else I can do …?"

"No, I'll be getting out of your hair … as soon as my assistant comes back. I can't imagine what's taking him so long."

Terry grinned, knowing his cue when he heard it. Disabling the radio, he closed his jacket and slipped back into the hallway. Hurrying down the corridor, he found the kitchen, filled a plastic cup with water, and walked quickly back to Lockslen's office. He reentered the office with the water, panting as heavily as if he'd been running.

"There you are, Terrence." Bruce looked disapproving. "Did you fall into the sink?"

"No sir, Mr. Wayne. I'm sorry. I got turned around, and then I couldn't find my way back at first –"

"These hallways can be like a maze," said Lockslen with an indulgent smile. "I needed a map my first few months here."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Lockslen." Bruce stood up slowly and waved off Terry when he offered the glass of water. Shrugging, Terry carried it with them as he and Bruce made their way out of the office maze and back to the reception area and the lift.

Bruce turned to Terry as soon as the lift doors closed. "You get all that?"

"Yeah … but I'm a little surprised that we're leaving without talking to Truevy. I thought that's what we came for."

"No." Bruce shook his head. "I came to discern whether Lucius Junior might have anything to do with this."

"It seems like he does. He told that Lockslen guy that _you _told him to hire Truevy, and that's not true."

"No," said Bruce musingly. "It's not. But it's hard to know just what is and isn't true in this situation."

"Great. So now what do we do?"

"Maxine was able to tunnel into Dennis Truevy's personnel records … I'm assuming there was a home address attached to them."

"Sure, but won't it look weird if we go to his place to talk to him?"

"Yes. It would." Bruce grinned. "But _we're_ not going there."

"We're not?"

Terry caught Bruce's look just as the lift doors opened on the ground floor, and he sighed loudly.

"Right. _We're _not."


End file.
